Grinding apparatus.



W. E. HICE.

GRINDING APPARATUS. I APPLICATION FILED JAN-29. 19M.

Patented May1,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I INVENTOR.

aka

W. E. HICE.

GRINDING APPARATUS APPLICATION nuzo JAN.29, 1914.

' Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEET5SHEET 2 wrmasszs.

- citizen of the United States,

i the grinding of lenses,

. spherical is provided for.

securing said blocks to said frame.

.of the scale, for the purpose more WILLIAM E. HICE, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GRINDING APPARATUS.

memes.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. H on, a and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grinding Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following .to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof. Y

My invention relates to grinding apparatus, and is more particularly adapted for although its application is not in any sense limited to this particular use.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of for the grinding of a concave or convex curve 'to any radius with great accuracy, or aperfect sphere, or two concave and convex spherical curves exactly of the same radius to fit one within the other, the operation being entirely automatic when once the proper adjustments have been made, thereby doing away with the skill heretofore required in the grinding of such curves, and

thereby greatly reducing the cost.

To these ends my invention comprises the novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed. Y

in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved apparatus partly in section; Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section; Fig. 3 is a cross section on the iine 33, Fig. 1; Figs. 4, 5 and 6, are details; and Figs. 7' and 8 are views showing the position of the swinging frame in the grinding of a convex and concave lens, respectively.

In the drawing the suitable frame provided with the scale 3, the zero point being at about the middle fully Screw-shafts 4 are the upper ends of beveled pinions 5 hereinafter set forth.

mounted in the frame, said shafts having the which mesh with the the horizontal shaft 7 mounted at the top of the frame, in suitable hearings 8.

handis provided for the shaft 7 and by turning of this hand-wheel; the simultai .1: rotation of the screw-shafts 4 Each of the screw-shafts 4 passes through an adjustable slide-block 10 which engages the frame by its guideway 11. The set-screws 12 are provided lfpr Specification of Letters Patent.

-the this character which providesable bearings in ing 24 in the swinging numeral 2designates a beveled pinions 6 on Patented May a, rear.

Application filed January 29, 1914. Serial No. 815,239.

screw-shaft 4 passes down through a threaded opening 13 in the block 10 and when the set-screw 12 is released, the rotation of the screw' shaft 4 moves the block 10 up and down on the frame in the manner fully hereinafter set forth. The block 10 is provided with the segmental recess or seat 14.

The swinging frame 15 is supported within the frame 2 in the following manner: Trunnion blocks'16 are secured to the uprights 17 of the swinging frame 15 by means of the set-screws 1 8, and when said set-screws 18 are released the blocks 16 are adjustable up and down on uprights 17 of swinging-frame 15. The trunnionblocks 16 carry the knife edged trunnions 19 which enter the seats 14 in the blocks 10. In this manner the swin 'ng frame 15 is supported directly by the locks 10 and indirectly by the frame 2 to which said blocks are secured. The upper ends of the trunnions 19 do not engage the upper ends of the-seats 14 but are spaced slightly therefromto allow for a certain amount of movement of the swinging fr me 15 inthe frame 2.

shaft 20 is mounted in suitthe swinging frame 15 and said shaft carries the beveled pinion 21 which is engaged by the beveled pinion 22 on the stub-shaft 23 mounted in suitable bearframe 15. The stubshaft '23 is connected to the flexible shaft section 25 which is interposed between the stub-shaft 23 and the shaft 26. The shaft 26 engages the rotary sleeve 27 a slot 28 in said shaft permitting the longitudinal movement of said shaft in the sleeve 27 while the key 29 connects said shaft with the rotary sleeve 27, so that rotary movement is imparted by said sleeve 27 to the shaft 26 and through the connections described to the vertical shaft 20.

The sleeve 27 is mounted in suitable bearings in the uprights 30 and 31, and rotary movement is imparted to said sleeve from the belt 32. which engages the pulley 33 on the sleeve 27 In order to impart a swinging or oscillatory. movement to the frame 15, said frame has the bracket extension. 34 extending out therefrom, of said extension is the link 35 which is connected to the crank-arm 36 on the wormwheel 37. This worm-wheel 37 is supported by the bracket 38 secured to the upright dependently of The vertical and connected to the outer end.

31. A worm 39 on the sleeve 27 engages the worm-wheel 37, and in this manner an os-' cillatory movement is imparted to the swinging-frame 15. In order to vary the'oscillathe chuck. The set-screw 45 is employed to secure the supporting member 41 at any desired osition with reference to the chuck as is in icated in Fig. 6, and in this way the supporting member may be arranged to grind prisms or sphere prisms.

The shaft is movable vertically in its bearing and to provide for the raising and lowering of said shaft the pinion 46 engages the rack-portion 47 on the shaft, and a handwheel 48 is provided for turning the pinion 46.

In order to hold the supporting block 41 down 'with sufficient resistance to give the proper grinding effect, I provide the bracket .49] on the swinging-frame 15 and said bracket carries the collar 50. The pin 51 has the collar 52 and surrounding said pin and interposed between the collar 50 and the collar 52 is the spring 53, which acts to hold the pin in engagement with the upper end of the shaft 20, while at the sametime' said shaft can yield slightly if necessary. The bracket 49 can be swung around to one side together with the pin when it is desired to relieve the pressure on the shaft 20 to remove the lens from the supporting block 41.

The lens 54 is cemented or otherwise secured to the supporting block 41, and said lens is in contact with the lap 55 carried on the vertical shaft 56. This shaft 56 is journaled in suitable bearings in the pedestal 57,

and said shaft 56 is driven by the belt 58 engaging the pulley 59. By means of the adjusting screw 60 the position of the shaft 56 may be varied to suit the different conditions, The zero point on the scale 3 will be the center point of the lap, as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8, and it is by locating the pivotal point of the frame 17 above or below the zero point.that I am enabled to provide for the grinding of the. convex or concave lens, as will more fully. hereinafter appear.

To support the swinging frame 15 when the adjusting blocks 10 and 16 are being located to suit the different grinding operations, I provide the following mechanism.

A rock-shaft 61 is journaled in the base of the pedestal 57 and a treadle 62 is con- 7 A spring 63 is connected with said treadle and with the frame. Cams 64 are mounted on the shaft 61 and said cams engage the slides 65 moving in guides 66 in the base of the pedestal 57. The slides 65 are in line with the swinging frame 15 and when the treadle 62 is lowered these slides are brought up in position to temporarily support the frame 15 during the adjustment of the blocks 10 and 16.

In grinding a convex lens as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7, the said lens 54 is cemented to the lens supporting block 41, and the frame 15 has been adjusted at the proper height to give the required curve to the lens, so that the lens will swing in an exact radius all the time of the grinding operation, the lens holder moving in an arc with the axis of the frame 15 as a center. The shaft 56 is elevated with thelap 55 hearing against the lens, and the machine is then put into operation. Suitable grinding material isdelivered to the lap to give the necessary abrading action. Through the gears and connections described, power is applied to rotate the shafts 20 and 56 in opposite directions, and at the same time, through the connections described, the frame 15 is oscillated to and fro. When once the desired curve to be given to the lens has been figured out and the frame adjusted according to the scale 3, no further attention need be paid to the machine as the lens will swing in an exact radius at all times and there will be an equal wearing of all parts of the grinding surface of the lap. In this case the pivotal point of the swinging frame 17 is above the zero point on the scale, and consequently, I obtain the result indicated in Fig. 7, in which a convex lens is being ground. It is apparent that a flat topped lap might be employed for grinding a corn vex lens by my invention, although the operatjon would 'take longer than with a corn cave lap such as illustrated. The fact that the screw rods 4 adjust the blockslO simultaneously and move said blocks an equal amount, makes it possible to effect the adjustment of the blocks 10 with reference to the scale with great accuracy, and the are through which the frame 15 is to swing canbe readily varied by connecting the link 35 to the crank arm 36 at different points on said arm. The swinging frame 15 is very sensitive, being mounted as it is upon the knife edge trunnions. The spring 53 holds the lens in close contact with the lap to make the abrasives grind the lens more rapidly.

In case it is desired to grind a prism or sphero-prism, the lens supporting block 41 may be adjusted in the position indicated in Fig. 6, which will hold the lens in proper position with reference to the lap for the grinding of a prism.

For thegrinding of a concave lens the blocks 10 and 16 will be lowered on the scale to a point below the zero point of the be given to the lens can be very accuratelycalculated'by the point at which the swinging frame is arranged with reference to the scale, and this point may be readily varied either for the grinding of a concave or convex lens.

While I have illustrated my invention with a single grinding device mounted in the frame 15, itis apparent that the frame 15 may be extended to carry a plurality of such grinding devices, so that at one time the different stages of grinding may be'carried on in the same apparatus, the first grinding with the rough abrading material and the successive ones with finer materials until the last, where the rouge is employed for-polishing. In this way by a single Inachine the successive grinding steps can be carried out, the lenses being transferred. from one to the other support until finally completed. The great advantage of the machine is that when once adjusted no further as the grinding is carried on with great accuracy, and the lens moves from center of lap to circumference or from circumeference to circumference, and the lap will be kept spherically correct because the lens swings in an exact radius at all times wearingequally all parts of the grinding surface of the lap. By the words rigidly mounted rotary lens holder employed in the claims, I mean a lens holder which isheld in its position against movement, and it not having anniversal joint action.

What I claim is:

1. In grinding apparatus, the combina-' tion with a suitable frame, of adjustable blocks on said frame having segmental recessestherein, a swinging frame, knife edge trunnions on said frame engaging said segmental recesses in said blocks, a rotary lap, and means for swinging said swinging frame.

2. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of adjustable blocks carried thereby having segmental seats, a swinging frame, adjustable knife edge trunnions on said swinging frame engaging said ,seats, a rotary lens holder carried by said swinging frame, a rotary lap, and means for swinging said swinging frame.

3. In grinding apparatus, the combination of a suitable frame, simultaneously adjustable blocks on said frame, a swinging frame trunnioned on said blocks, a rotary lens supporting block, a rotary lap and means for swinging said frame,

4. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of blocks on said frame, rotary screw-shafts, a swinging frame 5. In grinding apparatus,

with a suitable frame, of a swinging frame supported thereby, means for swinging said frame, a spring actuated shaft in said swinging frame, means for rotating said shaft, a lens supporting block carried by said shaft, and a rotarylap.

6. In grinding apparatus, the combinatlon with a suitable frame, of a swinging frame mounted thereon, a vertically movable shaft in said swinging frame, means for rotatm said shaft, alens supporting by said shaft, a sprin actuated pin engaging the upper end 0 said shaft, a means for moving said pin out of engagement with said shaft, and a rotarylap.

7. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of a swinging frame, mounted thereon, a vertically movable shaft carried by said swinging frame, means for rotating said shaft, means for swinging said swinging frame, a lens. supporting block carried by said shaft, a swinging bracket carried by said frame, a spring actuated pin carried by said bracket engaging the upper end of said shaft, and a rotary la 3. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of a swinging frame mounted thereon, a shaft on said frame, a lens supporting block carried by said shaft, a flexible longitudinally movable powerdriven shaft, connections between said shaft and said first named shaft, a rotary lap, and means for swinging said swinging frame.

9. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of a swinging frame mounted thereon, a shaft carried by said frame, a lens supporting block carried by said shaft, a flexible longitudinally movable shaft, and said first named shaft, a rotary sleeve engaging said flexible shaft, means for rotating said sleeve, an extension on said swinging frame between said extension and crank-arm, connections arm and said rotary sleeve. and a rotary lap.

10. In grinding apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of adjustable blocks on said frame, a swinging frame, adjustable blocks on said swinging frame, trunnions on said last named adjustable blocks engaging said first named adjustable blocks, a rotary lens supporting block carried by said swinging frame, a rotary lap, and means for supporting said swinging frame, while the adjusting blocks thereof are being adjusted.

0' block carriedbetween said crankconnections between said shaft 11. In grinding apparatus, the combination of a suitable frame, of adjustable blocks carried thereby, a swinging frame, adjustable blocks on said swinging frame, trunnions on said last named blocks engaging said first named blocks, a rotary lens supporting block carried by said swinging frame, a rotary lap, and movable supports below said swinging frame.

12. In grinding apparatus, the combination of a suitable frame, adjustable blocks carried thereby, a swinging frame, adjustable blocks on said swingingframe, trunnions on said last named blocks adapted to engage said first named blocks, a rotary lens 5 supporting block, a rotary lap, a rock shaft,

' WILLIAM E. HICE.

Witnesses: T. B. HUMPHRIES, JOHN F. WILL. 

